Two weeks of rain at the beginning of the year...

[Drew3223]

Hi all,

 

Been coming to the islands for years, but have a bad memory for details. There is usually a fortnight of spotty weather / rain in Jan/Feb and hoping someone could remind me exactly when?

[khunPer]

I've been living here for 15 years now, but I never experienced "usually a fortnight of spotty weather / rain in Jan/Feb".

 

There are usually a couple of weeks with bad weather during the monsoon season, typically November-December, but it can last from mid October till mid January. February have always been dry, so has March except for one year, 2011, and that was said to beat a 100-year old record of downpour...????

 

However, it's difficult to predict, especially about the future, so there might be "a fortnight" next year....

[Peterphuket]

The months December, January and February are peak season months in LOS and not because the rain.

[brain150]

18 hours ago, khunPer said:

I've been living here for 15 years now, but I never experienced "usually a fortnight of spotty weather / rain in Jan/Feb".

 

There are usually a couple of weeks with bad weather during the monsoon season, typically November-December, but it can last from mid October till mid January. February have always been dry, so has March except for one year, 2011, and that was said to beat a 100-year old record of downpour...????

 

However, it's difficult to predict, especially about the future, so there might be "a fortnight" next year....

 

How about January 2017 when you needed a boat on the beach road in Chaweng because of heavy floodings ?

Or December 2016 or April 2013 ? ... they were all quite severe floodings but you never experienced any of it ???

 

I am not surprised actually remembering most of your posts are far from reality usually.

[khunPer]

6 minutes ago, brain150 said:

 

How about January 2017 when you needed a boat on the beach road in Chaweng because of heavy floodings ?

Or December 2016 or April 2013 ? ... they were all quite severe floodings but you never experienced any of it ???

 

I am not surprised actually remembering most of your posts are far from reality usually.

Mid October to mid January is, as I mentioned it, monsoon season; i.e. "January 2017" and "December 2016". From mid April the rainy season begins; i.e. "April 2013". I think that answer your questions.

 

February and March are the dry months; often including January, but not always, and can last til between mid and end of April. However April till September only have little rain, but there can be cloudburst showers with instant flooding in some usually flooded areas.

 

Furthermore flooding were more common earlier, before sewers was made, or the older sewers upgraded to higher capacity, which is an ongoing recent work.

 

I've been on the island regularly since 2001, and resident since 2005, so I have photos of many of the flooding, also the more severe and some you don't seem to remember, like then mentioned odd one in March 2011...

 

or the December 2005-storm...

 

The opening questions was about January-February...????

[Tropicalevo]

5 hours ago, brain150 said:

 

How about January 2017 when you needed a boat on the beach road in Chaweng because of heavy floodings ?

Or December 2016 or April 2013 ? ... they were all quite severe floodings but you never experienced any of it ???

 

I am not surprised actually remembering most of your posts are far from reality usually.

Perhaps you should read the question before you post.

The OP was asking about January.

To the OP.

I have lived on Samui for 20 years. There can be a quick storm any time of the year. There is no 'exact' when it comes to weather.

There have been storms in january and there has been hot sunshine. There is no particular 'two weeks'. It is pot luck.

The later in the month that you leave it, the more likely you are to avoid the rain.

I always say to guests that we get about 300 days of sunshine a year. The rainy/cloudy days are up to whichever God you follow. ????

 

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

I always say to guests that we get about 300 days of sunshine a year.

Seems like we use same brand of sunny-day counter...????????

[Birdman]

21 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

The months December, January and February are peak season months in LOS and not because the rain.

Not so on the islands here. Except some says around Xmas high season is end January untill end March and mid July untill beginning of September. Because the climate

[Peterphuket]

5 minutes ago, Birdman said:

Not so on the islands here. Except some says around Xmas high season is end January untill end March and mid July untill beginning of September. Because the climate

I'm sorry, I lived there for 11 years, my experiences were different.

[Birdman]

Usually most rain was in the first November weeks because of the arrival of the NW monsoon. But there were also November without a breeze at all, sunshine daily.

And there was a week with heavy rains and flooding, airport closure, no ferries ... in March, one of the driest months usually. 

Have seen years with sunshine and blue sky almost daily.

[khunPer]

2 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

I'm sorry, I lived there for 11 years, my experiences were different.

Is "lived here" Koh Samui or Phuket? – i.e. "Peterphuket" – Phuket on the west side has a different weather than the islands on the east side; i.e. we have the Northeastern monsoon, whilst Phuket has the Andaman Southwest monsoon...

Quote

While northeast monsoon lasts from November to January, the southwest monsoon lasts from May to September.

Source: Google.

[Birdman]

NE monsoon lasts a bit longer. Sometimes into March. The monsoon circles. November most rain and strong winds more from the north. So northern beaches are also, especially on their more western sides, affected. Have seen beaches flooded and the sea looks like North Atlantic often.

Then January/February the strong constant wind comes directly from the East. But with much less rain. Most people drown in February, because of rip currents around southern Chaweng and Chaweng Noi. Eastern beaches are flooded now, except at their northern lagoons. There it is perfect. 

Then in March/April less and less winds, often calm and windless. A bit in May when the western monsoon starts. But nothing compared to the 90s. Could hardly open my door because of constant extremely strong gales from the west, the whole month, day and night, year by year. It rained horizontally. Water incoming through door and window cracks. But that´s history.

Summer months almost no rains and winds, normally. That´s why the second high season starts. Everywhere else in Thailand is rainy season. School Holidays in Europe. August belongs to the strongest 3 months reg. tourist arrivals. Many years Italians everywhere in August btw. 

And then slowly the circle closes coming to end of October again.  

 

In the last years you could come any time in the year. Pricewise November and half December are still the cheapest months. Followed by May and June.  

[khunPer]

Think we need some weather statistics to show that the normally dry month are February and March, and the average dry period is mid January to mid April...

Source: Wikipedia.

[Birdman]

no, I don`t need that, because I was here. 

 

BTW, that says nothing at all. Most rain in May in the 90s, but not so much in October, and then much less rain in May and much more in October in the 00s and you can have that misleading result for instance.  It does not show the change year by year. And it does not show further then 2010. It got much drier even since then.  

Anyway it was exactly like I said already